Map of Italy | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula along with Sardinia and Sicily were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration organized crime corruption high unemployment sluggish economic growth and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.


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Location: Southern Europe a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea northeast of Tunisia

Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N 12 50 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 301,340 km²
Rank: 71
Land: 294,140 km²
Water: 7,200 km²
Note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries
Total: 1899.2 km
Border countries: (5) Austria 430 km; France 488 km; Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km; San Marino 39 km; Slovenia 199 km; Switzerland 740 km

Coastline: 7,600 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot dry in south

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains coastal lowlands

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Natural resources: coal mercury zinc potash marble barite asbestos pumice fluorspar feldspar pyrite (sulfur) natural gas and crude oil reserves fish arable land

Land use
Arable land: 26.41%
Permanent crops: 9.09%
Other: 64.5% (2005)

Irrigated land: 27,500 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 175 km³ (2005)

Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides mudflows avalanches earthquakes volcanic eruptions flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Volcanism: Italy experiences significant volcanic activity; Etna (elev. 3,330 m 10,925 ft) which is in eruption as of 2010 is Europe's most active volcano; flank eruptions pose a threat to nearby Sicilian villages; Etna along with the famous Vesuvius which remains a threat to the millions of nearby residents in the Bay of Naples area have both been deemed 'Decade Volcanoes' by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Stromboli on its namesake island has also been continuously active with moderate volcanic activity; other historically active volcanoes include Campi Flegrei Ischia Larderello Pantelleria Vulcano and Vulsini

Geography
Note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe


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Population: 58,090,681 (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 23
Growth rate: -0.075% (2010 est.)
Growth rate rank: 208
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Italian
Adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German- French- and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Languages: Italian (official) German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking) French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region) Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing) other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.5%
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,530,696/female 18,981,084)
65 years and over: 20.2% (male 4,903,762/female 6,840,444) (2010 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 43.7 years
Male: 42.3 years
Female: 45.3 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.075% (2010 est.)
Rank: 208

Birth rate: 8.01 births/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 220

Death rate: 10.83 deaths/1000 population (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 42

Net migration rate: 2.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 41

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 68% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
International agreements party to: Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulfur 85 Air Pollution-Sulfur 94 Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic-Marine Living Resources Antarctic Seals Antarctic Treaty Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.066 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 5.41 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 182
Male: 5.96 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 4.82 deaths/1000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.33 years
Rank: 23
Male: 77.39 years
Female: 83.46 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Rank: 207

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2007 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 82
People living with hivaids: 150,000 (2007 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 36
Deaths: 1900 (2007 est.)
Deaths rank: 62

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 4.3% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 99

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 98.4%
Male: 98.8%
Female: 98% (2001 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 16 years
Male: 16 years
Female: 17 years (2007)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Italian Republic
Conventional short form: Italy
Local long form: Repubblica Italiana
Local short form: Italia
Former: Kingdom of Italy

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Rome
Geographic coordinates: 41 54 N 12 29 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 15 regions (regioni singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions (regioni autonome singular - regione autonoma)
Regions: Abruzzo Basilicata Calabria Campania Emilia-Romagna Lazio (Latium) Liguria Lombardia Marche Molise Piemonte (Piedmont) Puglia (Apulia) Toscana (Tuscany) Umbria Veneto (Venetia)
Autonomous regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia; Sardegna (Sardinia); Sicilia (Sicily); Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol) or Trentino-Suedtirol (German); Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) or Vallee d'Aoste (French)

Dependent areas

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

National holiday: Republic Day 2 June (1946)

Constitution: passed 11 December 1947 effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

Legal system: based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO
Head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (since 8 May 2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and nominated by the president
Elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held on 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament
Election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; members to serve five-year terms; and up to 5 senators for life appointed by the president of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; members to serve five-year terms); note - it has not been clarified if each president has the power to designate up to five senators or if five is the number of senators for life who might sit in the Senate
Elections: Senate - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147 LN 25 MpA 2) W. VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118 IdV 3) UdC 3 other 6; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276 LN 60 MpA 8) W. VELTRONI coalition 246 (PD 217 IdV 29) UdC 36 other 4

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president one-third elected by parliament one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts)

Political parties and leaders
Centerright coalition: Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]; People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio BERLUSCONI]
Centerleft coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Pier Luigi BERSANI]; Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]
Other nonallied parties: Future and Liberty Party or FLI [Gianfranco FINI]; Union of the Center or UdC [Pier Ferdinando CASINI]

International organization participation: ADB (nonregional member) AfDB (nonregional member) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS (observer) CD CDB CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB EMU ESA EU FAO FATF G-20 G-7 G-8 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC LAIA (observer) MIGA MINURSO NATO NEA NSG OAS (observer) OECD OPCW OSCE Paris Club PCA PIF (partner) Schengen Convention SECI (observer) SICA (observer) UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL Union Latina UNMOGIP UNRWA UNTSO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Giulio TERZI di Sant' Agata
In the us chancery: 3,000 Whitehaven Street NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 612-4,400
In the us fax: [1] (202) 518-2,151
In the us consulate general: Boston Chicago Houston Miami New York Los Angeles Philadelphia San Francisco
In the us consulate: Detroit
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David THORNE
From the us embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121 00187-Rome
From the us mailing address: PSC 59 Box 100 APO AE 9,624
From the us telephone: [39] (06) 46,741
From the us fax: [39] (06) 488-2,672 4,674-2,356
From the us consulate general: Florence Milan Naples

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) white and red; design inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797; colors are those of Milan (red and white) combined with the green uniform color of the Milanese civic guard
Note: similar to the flag of Mexico which is longer uses darker shades of red and green and has its coat of arms centered on the white band; Ireland which is longer and is green (hoist side) white and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side) white and green

National symbols

National anthem
Name: 'Il Canto degli Italiani'
Lyricsmusic: Goffredo MAMELI/Michele NOVARO
Note: adopted 1946; the anthem originally written in 1847 is also known as 'L'Inno di Mameli' (Mameli's Hymn) and 'Fratelli D'Italia' (Brothers of Italy)

National heritage


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Economy overview: Italy has a diversified industrial economy which is divided into a developed industrial north dominated by private companies and a less-developed welfare-dependent agricultural south with high unemployment. The Italian economy is driven in large part by the manufacture of high-quality consumer goods produced by small and medium-sized enterprises many of them family owned. Italy also has a sizable underground economy which by some estimates accounts for as much as 15% of GDP. These activities are most common within the agriculture construction and service sectors. Italy has moved slowly on implementing needed structural reforms such as reducing graft overhauling costly entitlement programs and increasing employment opportunities for young workers particularly women. The international financial crisis worsened conditions in Italy's labor market with unemployment rising from 6.2% in 2007 to 8.4% in 2010 but in the longer-term Italy's low fertility rate and quota-driven immigration policies will increasingly strain its economy. A rise in exports and investment driven by the global economic recovery nevertheless helped the economy grow by about 1% in 2010 following a 5% contraction in 2009. The Italian government has struggled to limit government spending but Italy's exceedingly high public debt remains above 115% of GDP and its fiscal deficit - just 1.5% of GDP in 2007 - exceeded 5% in 2009 and 2010 as the costs of servicing the country's debt rose.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 11
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 177

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 43
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.8%
Industry: 24.9%
Services: 73.3% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: fruits vegetables grapes potatoes sugar beets soybeans grain olives; beef dairy products; fish

Industries: tourism machinery iron and steel chemicals food processing textiles motor vehicles clothing footwear ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 152

Labor force: 25.05 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 23
By occupation agriculture: 4.2%
By occupation industry: 30.7%
By occupation services: 65.1% (2005)

Unemployment rate: 7.8% (2009 est.)
Rank: 97

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 26.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income gini index: 27.3 (1995)
Rank: 101

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 115.8% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 8

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 0.8% (2009 est.)
Rank: 33

Central bank discount rate: 3% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 119
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 11.31% (31 December 2008 est.)
Rank: 79

Stock of narrow money: $1.267 trillion (31 December 2009 est)
Rank: 7
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the euro area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 16 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders

Stock of broad money: $1.846 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 10

Stock of domestic credit: $3.047 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Rank: 9

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 16

Current account balance: -$66.2 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 188

Exports: $407.2 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 8
Commodities: engineering products textiles and clothing production machinery motor vehicles transport equipment chemicals; food beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals
Partners: Germany 12.6% France 11.57% US 5.92% Spain 5.69% UK 5.13% Switzerland 4.69% (2009)

Imports: $403.9 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 8
Commodities: engineering products chemicals transport equipment energy products minerals and nonferrous metals textiles and clothing; food beverages and tobacco
Partners: Germany 16.68% France 8.82% China 6.53% Netherlands 5.63% Spain 4.3% Russia 4.12% Belgium 4.08% (2009)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external: $2.328 trillion (31 December 2008)
Rank: 8

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $368.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 12

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $555.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 12

Exchange rates: euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7715 (2010) 0.7179 (2009) 0.6827 (2008) 0.7345 (2007) 0.7964 (2006)


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Electricity
Production: 289.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 14
Consumption: 315 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 13
Exports: 3.431 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 43 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 8.119 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 44
Consumption: 78.12 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 10
Exports: 124 million m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 41
Imports: 69.24 billion m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 4
Proven reserves: 69.83 billion m³ (1 January 2010 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 58

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 21.3 million (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 12
Mobile cellular: 90.613 million (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 11

Telephone system
General assessment: modern well developed fast; fully automated telephone telex and data services
Domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
International: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia Middle East Europe North Africa and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean) 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) and NA Eutelsat

Broadcast media: two Italian media giants - the publicly-owned Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI) with 3 national terrestrial stations and privately-owned Mediaset with 3 national terrestrial stations - dominate; additional broadcasts by a large number of private stations and Sky Italia - a satellite TV network; RAI operates 3 AM/FM nationwide radio stations; some 1300 commercial radio stations (2007)

Internet
Country code: .it
Hosts: 23.16 million (2010)
Hosts rank: 3
Users: 29.235 million (2009)
Users rank: 13

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 85

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 132 (2010)
Rank: 44
With paved runways total: 101
With paved runways over 3047 m: 9
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 30
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 31
With paved runways under 914 m: 13 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 31
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 11
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 19 (2010)

Heliports: 6 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 17,558 km; oil 1241 km (2009)

Railways
Total: 19,729 km
Rank: 15
Standard gauge: 18,317 km 1.435-m gauge (12,458 km electrified)
Narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1058 km 0.950-m gauge (151 km electrified); 231 km 0.850-m gauge (2008)

Roadways
Total: 487,700 km
Rank: 13
Paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2007)

Waterways: 2,400 km
Rank: 38
Note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2008)

Merchant marine
Total: 667
Rank: 17
By type: bulk carrier 81 cargo 47 carrier 1 chemical tanker 169 container 22 liquefied gas 25 passenger 23 passenger/cargo 160 petroleum tanker 56 refrigerated cargo 4 roll on/roll off 34 specialized tanker 11 vehicle carrier 34
Foreign owned: 78 (Denmark 4 France 2 Germany 1 Greece 8 Luxembourg 12 Nigeria 1 Norway 6 Sweden 1 Switzerland 6 Taiwan 11 Turkey 3 UK 2 US 21)
Registered in other countries: 213 (Bahamas 5 Belize 3 Cayman Islands 6 Cyprus 6 Georgia 2 Gibraltar 4 Greece 5 Kiribati 1 Liberia 48 Malta 52 Marshall Islands 1 Netherlands 9 Norway 3 Panama 23 Portugal 10 Russia 9 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5 Singapore 3 Slovakia 2 Spain 1 Sweden 5 Turkey 2 UK 4 unknown 3) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Augusta Cagliari Genoa Livorno Santa Panagia (Melilli) Taranto Trieste Venice


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Disputes international: Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money lau